Talking Points

Laura Ingraham: The nuclear option

Today, breaking 225 years of precedent, the U.S. Senate voted 52-48 to invoke the so-called nuclear option allowing confirmation for most presidential nominees by simple majority. In other words, the Senate voted to severely limit the use of the filibuster, one of the few tools a minority party has in our representative democracy.

Senate DEMs led by none other than Harry Reid they have been incensed that their GOP colleagues have blocked three -- primarily three -- DC circuit court nominees. Will someone call 911? Because the Democrats seem to be suffering from a wicked case of amnesia -- you see, they were against the nuclear option before they were for it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D), NEVADA: The filibuster is not a scheme and it certainly isn't new. The filibuster is far from a procedural gimmick. It's part of the fabric of this institution we call the Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: And what about then Senator Obama's view?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The American people want less partisanship in this town but everyone in this chamber knows that if the majority chooses to end the filibuster if they choose to change the rules and put an end to Democratic debate, then the fighting and the bitterness and the gridlock will only get worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: By the way, the President was supporting, of course, what Harry Reid decided to do earlier today. This, folks, is amazing. Threatening to go nuclear which both sides have done in the past and going nuclear are two different things. Reid and friends may have won a temporary victory by changing the rules, but they also disrupted the checks and balances within the Senate and ended up throwing gasoline on the brush fire of partisanship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: This is not a very proud day in the history of the Senate in order to distract attention away from Obamacare. The Senate has just broken the rules in order to change the rules.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: And yes, Republicans may have lost a lot of their leverage today in the U.S. Senate, but if they take back the Senate on the heels of the Obamacare implosion, Democrats may regret going to def con 1. This rank power grab should make it obvious to all congressional Republicans that they shouldn't waste time working with Democrats on pretty much anything. Democrats did not operate in good faith on Obamacare and they are not operating in good faith now.